Boxers dealt knockout blow

The notorious Durham bar Boxers has been closed and had its premises license revoked after police revealed a “horrific” level of law breaking to Durham County Council in a meeting yesterday.

Police told how:

• Customers openly snorted cocaine off the bar.
• Staff threw bottles at customers they had kicked out.
• A drunk 17-year-old girl was locked in the toilets overnight.

In November, The Tab revealed police had closed the bar after a series of sting operations, complaints by local residents and non-payment of rent forced the landlord to take action.

Boxers was closed in November amid a police investigation into suspected drug use, under-age drink sales and an assault on a customer

The extensive list of crimes and misdemeanours that police say took place at the Crossgate bar is long and damning. In sting operations co-ordinated by Durham Police the bar sold alcohol to an undercover 15-year-old girl on three occasions.

Footage shown at the meeting revealed behaviour so blatantly criminal it was, at times, laughable. Men can be seen openly snorting suspected cocaine off the bar then fighting running battles with door staff, who themselves are later seen to be throwing bottles at an ejected customer.

A girl was shown dry humping a man on the pool table whilst, in another incident, a transgender male suffered from a completely unprovoked attack.

In a separate incident, a drunk 17 year old girl was locked in the toilets overnight and was forced to ring her mother to help her get out after no closing checks were carried out.

Boxers was described as ‘raunchy’ by local papers

Despite the outrageous behaviour shown on the footage, Durham Police solicitor Stephen Mooney was succinct when he spoke to the meeting, describing Boxers as a “high volume vertical drinking establishment where scantily clad females served customers.”

The Pembroke Partnership, who own the property, said they were “shocked and appalled” by the crimes committed. However, Councillor Colin Carr said they were ultimately responsible and revoked their premises license.

A spokesman for the Worcestershire based property firm hit back after the meeting by saying that “the company received no rental income and feel they are being penalised for the activities of a rogue tenant.”

The position and culpability of Joel Bond, who invested £100,000 in the makeover of the property and disappeared after the closure of the bar in November, remains unclear.